Apple's iPhone sees lukewarm reception in China debut

Posted Nov 3rd 2009 4:15PM by Brian White
Filed under: Products and Services, Launches, Apple Inc (AAPL)

Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone has been selling like gangbusters in the U.S. since its debut in June 2007, but that kind of fever -- and the fever U.S. consumers felt at every iPhone launch in the U.S. -- seemed tepid by comparison when China Unicom unleashed the iPhone for sale last week.

Are Chinese consumers bored with the iPhone -- even though most have never seen it? Although the iPhone just officially launched in the world's largest mobile market last Friday, it's been there for a long time, unofficially.

Although launch parties were all the rage last Friday, many stores did not have sellout fever like many iPhone launches recently in the U.S. and Japan. But a launch does not make an entire situation. China, after all, has more mobile subscribers than the entire U.S. population.

Still, the official price from China Unicom for the iPhone is huge compared to the per-capita income of a normal Chinese citizen -- something that has been fiercely criticized. That, and the fact that WiFi wireless internet has been disabled on China Unicom's iPhones, makes Apple's latest iPhone launch event a deflated balloon in many ways. But, it still may not dissuade many Chinese wireless consumers from picking up an iPhone -- just not the official version from China Unicom.

Tags: AAPL, Apple, Apple in China, Apple iPhone, AppleInChina, AppleIphone, China Unicom, ChinaUnicom, featured, Inc.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

11-04-2009 @ 12:08AM

Beltway Greg said...

There's that word again, "Lukewarm," somebody at the journal must hold the copyright. Let's see this for what it really is people. While the IPhone hasn't been "officially" available in China something on the the order of 1-3 million phones call it home so it's hardly an unknown quantity. The only question I have is why did Apple agree to go ahead with the launch? The CEO of Unicom Mr. Yimin took a big old bite of humble General Taos pie this weekend. Usually the Chinese are so dang smart but I guess we got the runt of the litter in this guy. How can you spur consumer demand when the price is 33% higher and it lacks a key component, WIFI, and why would Apple let them launch? Releasing the IPhone without WIFI is like opening a McDonalds without the fries. The only thing I can imagine is that the Cuppertino Crew has some type of guarantee for this first batch of mongrel product. Now we find ourselves at pretty much the same price that we were in 2007. This is a bit like the Beatles. Sooner or later they're coming to ITunes and it will probably prove to be as big a yawner because some goofy executive tries to get too cute and screws the pooch. Anyway, it 's almost Xmas so do your old pal Beltway Greg proud and buy some Apple products this Holiday Season and run this to $200 for like the 4th time.
See you at the Mall.